In The Event of an Emergency
by Roosie
Summary: Everyone knows Beca had some issues letting people in, but Chloe could tell this was different.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own a thing, unfortunately. It would be awesome if I did. **

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A month and a half into her time at Barden, Beca would have never imagined herself joining an a cappella group, especially one run by someone like Aubrey. She had come here to appease her father, who wouldn't shut up about how she needed a degree to fall back on when her DJ'ing career failed; or at least that's what he seemed to imply. Now the only reason this had worked was because her mother has ganged up on her as well, making her feel guilty about wanting to leave for Los Angeles — '_which was all the way across the country, and too far away'_ — when she was still in her teens. And somehow, by a crazy turn of events that involved the confident redhead and a shower, she ended up here standing with a group of girls as they practiced the same outdated song over and over again. Aubrey often stood up in front of them the entire time yelling out all of their mistakes, most of which were directed at Beca and left her exhausted by the time she stepped through the door of her dorm room. Despite it all, however, Beca was enjoying herself. She would never admit it, but she was making friends and loved their company. If it wasn't for the girls, it would be harder to take Aubrey's criticism in stride or to keep up with the dance moves she secretly practiced by herself yet still couldn't perfect. They had become her rock, and Beca, although she wasn't used to it, loved having that.

On one particularly muggy afternoon, when the air felt like it was as thick as soup, Aubrey decided to make the girls run around the auditorium. "Ten laps," she demanded with a smile, unlike the girls who were folded over and trying to even their breaths. "If any of you stop I'll make the entire group run ten more. Now, go!"

The group of girls straightened themselves with a collective groan, heading towards the stairs and leaving Beca, still hunched over and breathing heavily, alone. The moment Aubrey spotted her she walked over with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. Beca took no notice though, she slowly lowered herself to the ground with her head in her hands.

"Beca," Aubrey startled the brunette. "Is there a reason you haven't joined the girls?"

In the background they could both hear Chloe encouraging the girls as they came down the last set of stairs and went up for the next lap. Aubrey briefly looked over in her friends direction to make sure that everything was okay and when she focused back on Beca, the brunette was already folded into herself again. Getting closer Aubrey noticed the way her back was rapidly rising and falling and took pity on Beca. She tried again to get her attention but her eyes were closed and Aubrey could tell that she was trying to concentrate - on something. "Why don't you go sit down for a little while. I don't want anyone collapsing in the middle of practice." Beca made no signs of moving; Aubrey waited a few seconds, her breath held as she made sure Beca hadn't done just that. "Do you need me to help you?"

Beca immediately swatted the hand Aubrey held out for her away and lifted her head so that she was looking at the blonde. "Can you grab my backpack from over there?" She asked in a moment of weakness, pointing to the far corner of the auditorium where most of the girls put their bags during practice. Aubrey complied without another word, surprising Beca for a moment before she pulled herself back together and took the bag from the blonde's hands. She could feel Aubrey's gaze on her as she ripped open the clasps and reached in to search the bottom of her bag. She pulled out her inhaler, happy she hadn't left it in her dorm — which had happened far too many times — and took several deep breaths. Aubrey remained in her spot, hovering over Beca with a watchful eye.

"You have asthma," Aubrey noted, almost guiltily.

"Uh-huh."

"You should have said something."

Beca shrugged, "Would it have stopped you from torturing me?"

"Beca —"

"I just kidding, Aubrey, geez. It's fine, I'm fine, you can leave it alone now."

The two were acutely aware that the other Bellas had stopped running now and were waiting for further instruction. Chloe was the closest to them, keeping one ear on their conversation and made the decision on her own to dismiss them. Aubrey made no effort to complain about the early dismissal, instead choosing to yell out to them, "Have a good weekend. Get some rest because next week I'm expecting all of you to work ten times harder." She had her back to them before they could retort, and ignored the groans as they went to pick up their bags and left.

Beca and Aubrey remained still until Chloe joined them and reflexively put a hand on Beca's back to soothe her. She could see, despite Beca's best efforts, that her breathing still wasn't right. The two friends looked over at each other with concern.

"Can you stand?" Chloe asked, her voice softer than ever. Beca nodded, attempting with Chloe's help to get up on her feet and managed to do so albeit still in pain. "I'm going to walk you back to your dorm room, okay?"

The brunette didn't have the energy to complain. Four strong hands led her to the door, both Aubrey and Chloe taking the trek with her without a word. No one asked her which way they should go, and she didn't have to tell Chloe because they'd started to make a habit out of hanging out. They got to the dorm quickly and Chloe fished the keys out of Beca's pocked so that they could help her into her empty room. Her side was a mess compared to her roommates, and she could hear Aubrey mumbling about it as she cleared the bed for her to lay down, but lately she hadn't had the drive to try to clean up.

It must have been hours later when Beca woke up to a knock on her door. Chloe and Aubrey were gone now and she was still alone. She groaned as she lifted the heavy covers off of her body; she felt sticky and gross, a thin layer of sweat covering her body, and wanted nothing more than to take a shower. The room was nearly as hot as the auditorium had been despite the breeze coming in from the window she'd opened earlier that day. The knock sounded once more and Beca briefly wondered if ignoring it would make the person go away. But another knock followed, this time accompanied by a voice and the door opened seemingly by itself. She was about to lift herself off the bed to kick them out of her room when her father poked his head around the corner. "Beca, what are you doing in bed? Have been to any of your classes today?"

Beca shrugged and eased herself back down, wrapping her covers around her to show her father that she didn't want to be disturbed. But unfortunately, it didn't stop him from sitting down with her.

It took less than a second for Sebastian's eyes to land on the dumped school bag on her desk. Aubrey had kindly, or not depending on who was looking at the situation, placed her inhaler near her so that if she needed it, it would only be an arms length away. "Are you sick?" He quickly reached out to touch the back of his hand to her clammy forehead. "You look a little pale. Do I need to take you to the doctors?"

Beca shook her head, swatting his hand away from her head and finally turned to face the wall in hopes he would get the idea.

She knew before he even started the next breath that he was about to ask her the dreaded question. Beca felt him shift on the bed and clear his throat, "Do I need to take you to Dr. Lieppe?"

"No. Definitely not."

Despite having her back to him, Beca could feel his gaze on her. She had hoped he would be satisfied with her answer, but it only seemed to make him more concerned. "Beca," the tone of his voice told her he wasn't going to let her skirt by for much longer. "How long have you been feeling unwell?"

"I don't know. A couple weeks."

"And you didn't think to tell me? Get dressed, I'm taking you to the doctors."

Beca didn't move. "I don't want to go to Dr. Lieppe because I already know what he's going to say and I don't want to hear it."

"So you thought keeping it to yourself for _a couple_ weeks was a good idea?" She could tell he was trying to restrain himself from yelling; Sebastian took a deep breath before continuing. "You and I both know you shouldn't — no, you cannot ignore the symptoms. This is serious, Becs."

With a groan she turned back around, instantly feeling guilty when she saw her father's face. "Yeah, I know. We've been over this a million times."

"And you're still not going to let me take you to the doctors?" She shook her head. "Fine. But I want you to check in with me every week so that I can make sure you're okay. The first time you're late, we will be on our way to Dr. Lieppe's before you can say otherwise, got it?"

They planned to meet at a cafe that marked a convenient halfway point on campus. Her father would ask her how she had been feeling, making mental notes of every cough or attempt at a deep breath, and she would change the subject the moment she had the chance. As much as she hated these meetings, Beca wasn't dumb enough to break their deal. She went to the cafe regardless of how she felt, and it didn't matter if she occasionally had to skip practice.

It was the day after she'd met her father, for what was something like the sixth time since they made the agreement, when she woke up late for practice fighting off a killer headache and a bad cough. Beca had already missed practice twice that week because she couldn't peel herself out of bed and she didn't want to become number one on Aubrey's hit list if she missed another so she got up and got dressed. In the end she was nearly forty-five minutes late for practice, walking in as the girls finished what was probably round twenty of the dance routine. Aubrey had her back turned, so she didn't notice straight away, but it was Chloe who brought her attention to the new arrival.

"So happy you could join us, Beca." Aubrey greeted her, sarcasm intact. "I assume you remember the routine, so get your ass over here — we have a lot of work to do if we want to be ready for regionals."

Beca did as she was told, moving herself to the back so that she could hide behind someone if need be. They started again, but she was already back in her own head and wasn't concentrating on the dance moves. It wasn't until she accidentally bumped into Fat Amy that she realized everything she had been doing was wrong, and that had resulted in her ending up on the ground. When Beca failed to get up the moment her back hit the floor, everyone else stopped and stared. For a brief moment, when Beca looked up at the girls starting to surround her, she could see something flash across Aubrey's eyes that looked like sympathy but it was gone in a flash and she was back to her scary self as she addressed the group. "Start again."

The girls turned around again and Beca peeled herself off of the ground with a groan. She had hit something falling down as she had and as if she wasn't already in enough pain she now had it radiating from her shoulder. Despite it all, she tried her best to keep up with the girls, paying particular attention to the people around her so that she didn't have another incident.

The longer practice ran, the more Beca found herself moving further back in the room. She didn't want to have another stare down with Aubrey and, the way she was feeling, this was the only way she could prevent it from happening.

"Beca, a moment?" Aubrey called her away from the group she had just dismissed for the afternoon. Everyone else had practically run towards the exit, but she was lingering behind. When she didn't move, Aubrey moved closer to her with Chloe close behind. "I don't have the time to watch you for every second of practice so you'll be working with Chloe until you can get the dance moves down. I want to see improvement, Mitchell."

Beca rolled her eyes but agreed to the threat; satisfying Aubrey enough to get her to leave the auditorium.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Fine."

"I don't believe you."

"Well you should."

"Beca," Chloe sighed, sitting next to the brunette on the floor and crossed her legs to get comfortable. "There's something going on with you and keeping it to yourself isn't doing anyone any good."

"Now you sound like my dad."

"What?" The redhead scooted forward a little more so that her knee was touching Beca's knee.

"Nevermind."

The concern in Chloe grew more but she smiled nonetheless and decided to drop it for now. "So when do you want to practice? I can swing by your room in, like, twenty minutes?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling well, can we just leave it for today?"

She studied Beca for a second before agreeing. "Okay. But do you want to grab some dinner?"

"No, thanks. I really just want to curl up under my covers and fall asleep."

"Did you not sleep well last night?" Chloe prodded her for more information, only to be met with a shrug. "Are you sick?" The brunette didn't need to answer, looking away from Chloe had given her the information she needed. "Beca, you can tell me anything, you know that, right?" She nodded, opening her mouth briefly and shutting it again. "C'mon, don't shut me out again. You were doing so well!"

"God," Beca grumbled, closing her eyes tight and opening them with a roll. "Why does everyone always say that."

"Beca —"

"No," the brunette struggled against the hand on her shoulder. "Just leave me alone. I can't deal with this today. Not with everything else — no, I have to go. I'll see you later, Chlo."

Before Chloe could say anything Beca stormed out of the room, leaving her dumbfounded and still on the floor. Picking herself up, she pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead, a growing headache from the past few days and the stress she'd been feeling getting the better of her. She was grateful that it was finally the weekend and she could get some of the sleep she'd been skipping in favor of studying for exams. Her walk back to the apartment took longer than usual. She was lost in her own thoughts and didn't realize she'd taken a few wrong turns. So when she got back, Aubrey was already in the living room with a plate of food on the coffee table and a blanket wrapped around herself.

"Half pint didn't want to practice tonight?" Aubrey asked, inbetween bites of her salad. "Quelle surprise."

Chloe shrugged, "She wasn't feeling well. I think it might be serious."

"Why do you say that?"

"Aubrey. You were there the other day, you can't say you haven't noticed how pale she's looking lately or that she can't keep up with the group during practice."

"She's always been pale," Aubrey shrugged it off, although the other signs were, and had been, worrisome. "Beca will be fine. I'm sure she's just fighting off a cold or something and we'll have our sarcastic hobbit back in no time."

"I hope you're right." Chloe smiled.

On the other side of campus Beca found herself standing in front of her father's house. She had been there for over ten minutes and had yet to step foot on his property. She had been debating with herself about whether this was a good idea when a light came on inside and a figure started to move out of the living room. Beca froze, hoping that the fact it was getting dark outside had kept her cover. But then the front door opened and her father's face stuck out, "Beca? Is that you?"

Beca had no choice but to walk into his yard, into the lights that Sebastian had turned on for her. "Yeah, hi dad. Sorry to interrupt your evening."

Sebastian shook his head, opening the door wider. "No, that's fine actually. Sheila's away visiting her parents so I was just warming up some leftovers. Is — is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah." Beca's voice wavered for a second. They were standing in the foyer now, the jacket she had handed him still in his arms as he waited for her to continue her thought. "Actually, I was thinking about — um, I'm ready to go to Dr. Lieppe."

"Bec, you don't know what a relief it is to hear you say that," Sebastian, a smile spreading across his face. "But, but what brought this up?"

"Nothing. You know, I just realized you were right."

Sebastian's smile went away as the implications of her words struck him, "Oh, Beca."

He led them to the kitchen in silence and she sat down on a stool by the table as he picked up another plate and napkin for her. "I"ll call Dr. Lieppe in the morning. In the meantime, how about you stay the night?"

She couldn't refuse, not after his reaction to her news. Beca gave him a short nod, and mustered up a smile when he gave her two slices of pizza from the oven and sat down next to her.

"How long is Sheila away for?" Beca broke the silence, causing her father to look up at her. His face changed again when he realized she had asked him a question; it was a look she knew all too well, and more than half the reason she didn't let him know everything that was going on with her. "Sheila, how long is she visiting her parents for?"

"She'll get gone for about two weeks," Sebastian smiled.

"And how are your classes going?"

"They're going well, thanks. I have a nice group of kids this semester which is always nice."

"You got lucky."

"Yeah, I suppose I did," He laughed. "How about you?"

Beca shrugged, "Well, Aubrey's making my life a living hell, Jesse's determined to make me watch every movie in the library, oh and I aced that neuro exam from last week."

"Great job, Becs. I knew you could do it."

"Yeah, whatever," Beca teased him. "That class doesn't make me want to throw things. So it's alright, I guess."

"Do my ears deceive me or did I just hear my daughter say she likes something at Barden?"

"Ha ha, very funny. I've been a Bella for months now and I never got such an enthusiastic response from you about that."

"That's different, this is a _science_ course," Sebastian continued to poke fun at her. "Is there something wrong with the pizza?"

Beca looked down at her plate, both pieces still where her father had put them and barely touched. "No, I'm not really hungry."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Alright, well I'm going to check if anyone is at Dr. Lieppe's office right now so that we can have something set up for the morning."

"Dad, it's fine. Besides, it's 6 o'clock on a Friday night, I doubt anyone's there."

"I'll try anyway. I'm worried about you Becs."

Sebastian left the table as soon as she gave up trying to stop him, and ended up spending nearly twenty minutes on the phone in the other room. When he came back into the kitchen Beca was still siting in her spot at the table, "Dr. Lieppe said if we leave now he can meet us at the office tonight. I'm just going to grab a few things, I'll meet you in the car."

Beca obeyed, and sure enough he came outside ten minutes later with a suspicious looking overnight bag in his hand.

When Monday rolled around and Beca didn't show up for practice, Aubrey stalked up to her best friend. "That's four times in the last couple weeks, Chloe. Beca's walking on thin ice here."

"I'm sure she has a good excuse," the redhead reassured Aubrey.

"Yeah, well, she's running out of them."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. That flew by quickly. Sorry, I had a bit of trouble getting this chapter together. Well...that and the pile of work I have to do for school (ugh!). Next time I'll update sooner :)  
Please review! **

**Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing. That includes the book mentioned. **

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Beca had missed an entire week of classes when Sebastian walked into her hospital room on Friday morning and announced that he was finally breaking her out of there. She was both happy and worried about the news, cringing at the thought of what Aubrey would do to her when she showed up for practice on Monday and the questions she was going to have to face. But the idea of sleeping in her own bed, albeit the one at her father's house and not in her dorm, and having uninterrupted nights where she wasn't poked and prodded, overpowered most other thoughts; at least for the time being.

"Alright, let's get you checked out and home again," Sebastian smiled, handing her the information Dr. Lieppe had given them earlier so that he could help her into the wheelchair. It was a protocol that Beca despised but she was too tired to fight it, instead scooting closer to the edge of the bed and swinging her legs over the side. Once she settled into the wheelchair they immediately set off for the nurses station, passing the many nurses and doctors that she had seen that week with a small wave and a smile. It took a half hour to check out officially, but it was all forgotten once they went out into the fresh air.

"I brought you a sweater from home," Sebastian nudged Beca when she shivered, placing her favourite hoodie in her lap. She put it on with a small thank you, hugging her arms around her to get cosy. "I have to stop by my office on the way home, I hope you don't mind. We'll only be about an hour."

"That's fine, dad."

Getting into the car, Beca immediately leaned her forehead against the cold window of the passenger side door. She was sick of her father checking to make sure she was okay every five seconds so she hoped that turning away with him would allow her to ignore the concerned glances. Sebastian had caught on to this quickly, letting out an audible sigh that Beca didn't acknowledge, and resigned with his eyes straight ahead. As they got closer to Barden, Beca tensed, noticing first the familiar scenery as they passed the entrance and then the sea of students running around from one class to the next, and didn't relax until her father pulled up to the staff parking lot behind the English building.

"I promise we won't be long," Sebastian reassured her once again as they walked into the building and up to Dr. Mitchell's office.

Beca shrugged it off, "Take your time. It's not like I have anything else to do."

They settled down in the office quietly before Beca spoke again. "Do you still have that pile of books I put behind your desk?"

Sebastian smiled, moving back his chair to reach the stack of books. "Which book were you thinking about reading?"

"Surprise me." She pretended not to notice her father's smile widen as he handed a thick book across the desk; opening it to the first page and hiding her face in the pages.

Little did she know that Chloe was using all of her resources to hunt her down.

It had taken Aubrey a week of ranting about Beca's lack of commitment for the redhead to decide to search for her. It was down to a routine; every night after practice Aubrey would pace around the living room while Chloe listened from the couch with a carton of ice cream ready to launch in front of her. Chloe realized she needed to intervene when, on Thursday night, she found that her mind went blank trying to come up with an explanation as to why Beca was missing practice. The very next morning she found herself in front of Beca's dorm room to investigate.

After knocking on the door for nearly two minutes it opened and Chloe came face-to-face with her roommate, much to her dismay, who was little help in her search before shutting the door in her face. It was while Chloe was awkwardly standing in the hallway trying to decide where to go next, that she remembered the Jesse lived in the same building and berated herself for not thinking of going to him first.

"Oh, hey Chloe," Jesse answered the door with his usual smile. "What's up?"

"Good, you're here. Have you seen Beca?"

Jesse frowned, shaking his head as he answered. "No, actually I've been covering for her at the station since last Friday. Luke said she called in sick. I checked with Kimmy Jin but she hasn't seen Beca either. Have you tried her room recently?"

"Yeah, and I had the pleasure of having the door slammed in my face. Beca's not there."

Jesse laughed, having gone through something similar a few days earlier, "Yeah, she's not the nicest person. She's only ever said three words to me, that I know of, and I'm pretty sure they were insults. But, uh, you should try Dr. Mitchell. His office is in the English building. I'd go with you, but I have to get to the station. Let me know if you find out anything, though."

Chloe nodded, "Thanks, Jesse. I will."

They exited the building together but went off in opposite directions, leaving Chloe to search for the building on her own. She'd only been inside once since arriving at Barden and it was in her freshman year so she had to think hard to remember where it was. It took three freshman and one professor, but Chloe finally found herself walking in the right direction, following narrow dirt paths further and further away from the center of campus until she arrived at the old building tucked behind the library. She was already exhausted as she climbed the steps to the entrance, amazed at how much more to Barden there was besides the buildings she frequented. She hoped that finding Dr. Mitchell's office would be easier, but it was once again disappointing when she found herself looking through hundreds of names on the directory. She scanned the rows for m's, using her finger to guide her until she hit the right one. It was on the fifth floor and she couldn't find an elevator nearby.

As she trudged up the stairs Chloe hoped that Dr. Mitchell would be in his office so that this would all be worth it. Her optimism fell each time she realized that no one else seemed to be in the building, even though it was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon. She counted the doors as she walked slowly down the hallway noticing that, once again, most of them were closed with the lights off; 512…514…516…518. A gold plaque fastened to the wooden door told Chloe that she was in the right place and she was in luck, the light was on. She stopped before knocking on the door, making sure that she wasn't interrupting anything; holding her breath as she nervously waited for a response. "Come in."

Chloe turned the handle of the door, greeting Dr. Mitchell with a smile and then spun around, out of politeness, to the other person in the room; only to stop when she discovered who it was. "Hi, Dr. Mitchell. I'm sorry to interrupt but, actually I was here to see if you knew where I could find Beca and I can see that's not necessary anymore." She stumbled through her words, uncharacteristically unable to articulate her thoughts.

Beca shifted in her seat at the mention of her name, fully aware that Chloe and her father were staring at her but made no effort to look up at them. Instead she buried her head further into the book which the redhead could see she clearly was no longer reading.

"All right," Dr. Mitchell broke through the silence, getting up from his chair. "It's nice to see you again, Chloe. I'm going to get some lunch, do you girls want anything?" They shook their heads and finally, they were left alone.

Chloe pulled up a chair from the desk just as the office door closed so that she was sitting directly across from Beca. The brunette had, in effort to ease the discomfort, pulled her knees closer to her chest with the book sitting upright in the space between her stomach and thighs; blocking off any clear view Chloe had of her. She cleared her throat hoping to break the silence as she settled into her chair, watching Beca turn to the next page. "What're you reading?"

The brunette picked up the book in silence, pushing it just above her knees so that Chloe could read the title on her own and she could continue to pretend she was reading. "_Infinite Jest_, good book. Are you reading that for class?" Beca shook her head. "Aw, so the rebel is a closeted reader, huh? Who knew?"

The first noise out of Beca was a short laugh, "Well my dad _is_ a lit professor here, so it kinda comes with the territory."

Chloe hummed in agreement, a smirk on her face. "Wait until Aubrey hears about this, she won't believe me!"

Finally, the brunette looked up at her with a smile on her face she was unable to hide. "Oh, shut up."

"Who's your favourite author? What's your favourite book?" Chloe teased her. "No wait, let me guess…"

She couldn't finish her thought before the hardcover of another book came into contact with her arm. "I'm trying to read."

"You can keep saying that all you want but we both know you're not actually reading it," Chloe crossed her arms in front of her. "We missed you at practice this week."

"Mm, I highly doubt that."

"No, it's true. You may not realize this but your fights with Aubrey keep it interesting. It's more entertaining for the rest of us than you think."

"Is she pissed at me for missing so many?"

Chloe shrugged, "She'll get over it." She waited to gauge Beca's mood, choosing her next words carefully. "Besides, I'm sure that you have a good excuse."

The redhead quickly realized she had dived into that too quickly, noticing the way that Beca tensed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and changed the subject so that she didn't push her away too soon. "So there's this farmer's market in town that I was going to check out this afternoon — Aubrey was supposed to come with me but she bailed, do you want to tag along? There's this one awesome vendor who makes grilled cheese sandwiches that are to die for."

"You say that about everything, Chlo," Beca relaxed, taking the opportunity to tease her friend back.

"But I mean it this time. C'mon, the farmer's market is only on for another week and then I have to wait until next summer and, trust me, you don't want that to happen."

"What happens if I do?"

"Then you get to join me and Aubrey in recreating said sandwich until we get it right. Which means that we'll be eating grilled cheese sandwiches for every meal; that's 21 a week, 84 a month for…6 months, give or take…"

Beca held her hands up in the air to stop her, "Okay, okay. Geez. I'll go, if only to stop you from doing any more math."

Chloe smiled widely, "Great! Let's get going before they're all gone!"

The brunette followed Chloe, getting up from her seat with her finger sandwiched between the pages of the now closed book; holding back laughter at the redhead's enthusiasm for food. She walked to the desk and grabbed a notepad, writing a note for her father to let her know where she was going, all while Chloe stood behind her waiting.

"After you," Chloe eagerly motioned toward the door. Beca walked past her with a roll of her eyes and an exaggerated sigh that only made the redhead's smile grow. While Chloe was glad to have the opportunity to hang out with Beca alone, she stayed silent while they walked to her car even though she had dozens of questions for her friend. She could tell, after the previous incident, that jumping right into that conversation would only make Beca put her walls back up, and she didn't want to make up another excuse for Aubrey.

When they arrived at the farmer's market Beca was happy to find that few people were there. She had to admit that the market did look nice, although she didn't have much chance to look around before Chloe grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the vendor. They hadn't even approached the counter when the man standing behind it greeted Chloe and recited her order without a peep from the redhead. Then, before Beca could read through the menu, they both turned to her.

"Uh, I think I'm okay, but thank you."

"You have to try something," Chloe insisted when the man left them alone to put together her order. "We're not leaving until you do."

"I'm not hungry, maybe some other time."

"Order something for later. These grilled cheese sandwiches are worth it."

"Fine," Beca gave in. "You pick for me."

Chloe turned around again so that Beca couldn't change her mind and waved down the man to put in another order; a sandwich with some witty name that amused the brunette enough to have picked it herself. "Soon you're going to understand why I'm obsessed with this guy," Chloe pulled on Beca's arm, squealing in excitement as she led them to where they would pick up their order. "You will not regret this."

Once they were handed the sandwiches Beca had to admit that they, indeed, smelled delicious, but the thought of eating one at this moment made her stomach turn. By now the farmer's market was coming to an end so the two women walked back to the car, watching the vendors around them pack up all of their food and pull down their stalls. In her excitement, Chloe didn't wait to dig into her sandwich; finishing it before they reached the parking lot.

They were about half way home when Beca felt her stomach turn again. She tried her best to suppress it, taking as deep of breaths as she could manage right now, but it was impossible to ignore. Knowing they were minutes from campus Beca willed herself to at least keep it together until they arrived at her dorm, but Chloe took notice of the brunette's behavior and turned to her, "Are you okay?"

Beca nodded, playing it off as nothing but Chloe was persistent. "Do you need me to pull over?"

Before the brunette could answer her Chloe took the initiative to pull over anyway, something Beca was grateful for when, upon opening the passenger side door, she didn't have time to get out of her seat before emptying her stomach onto the grass. From behind her she could hear Chloe turn the car off completely and open her own door. She arrived in next to her in seconds, holding back her hair and placing a comforting hand on her back. When Beca was done, Chloe handed her one of the napkins that had been stuffed into the take out bag with a sympathetic smile which made the brunette cringe. "Thanks."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Beca nodded, allowing Chloe, in a moment of weakness, to help her back into the seat and settle down. She started the car without another word, but Beca knew this little incident wasn't going to go unacknowledged for much longer. It was only a matter of time and she doubted Chloe would last until they arrived at Barden.

"Beca?" Chloe began quietly, not ten minutes later. "What's going on with you?

"What'd you mean?"

"I've just noticed that you haven't been yourself lately and…I'm worried about you, that's all."

"There's nothing to worry about Chlo."

"But you threw up."

"I get carsick."

"Since when?"

"Since always."

Chloe sighed, letting Beca get away with it for now. "Why'd you miss practice this week?"

To this the brunette paused, realizing she hadn't come up with a good excuse yet to explain her way out of the interrogation.

"Don't lie to me," Chloe added, reading her mind as she always seemed to. When Beca didn't answer, she tried again. "Are you pregnant?"

"What!?"

"You heard me, are you pregnant?"

"I'm not even dating anyone."

"You're not answering the question."

Beca groaned, "No, I'm not, okay? Why would you even ask me that?"

"Why are you so afraid of telling me what's wrong?"

"I told you Chloe, it's nothing. I'm a little sick, there's no mystery for you to solve."

Finally Chloe sighed, "Fine."

By the time they arrived back at Barden, Beca couldn't wait to get out of the car. Chloe had accepted her answer but it was obvious to the brunette that she didn't believe her and so the conversation had been awkward for the rest of the ride.

"I hope we'll see you at practice on Monday," Chloe called out to her, taking the forgotten take out bag and handing it to Beca as she left. She had stopped the car in front of Beca's building without realizing that the brunette was actually staying with her father for the time being. Beca nodded, leaving Chloe's statement unanswered, and waited until her car turned the corner to walk in the other direction to her house.

Beca had made it a quarter of the way before she needed to stop. She sat down on a nearby bench and pulled out her phone with an irritated huff. She hated being weak but she had heard the doctor, and there was no way that she could stand to see her father worry again.

Sebastian answered the phone on the second ring and didn't need an explanation. He would be about ten minutes, leaving Beca to wait there and try to even her breath out before he arrived.

"Beca, are you okay?" Sebastian climbed out of the car when he saw her, rushing to help her into the car. She nodded, but much like Chloe he could see right through her. "C'mon, let's get you home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **My wishing well obviously isn't working properly, I still don't own anything. I'll have to keep trying...

Thank you everyone for the amazing response to this story - it definitely helped me write this chapter that much faster! Sorry I couldn't post it any sooner - I took the dreaded GRE yesterday (YIKES!)

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Ever since her father had picked her up on that Friday night Beca had done everything in her power to prevent him from taking her back to the hospital; a threat that was used on more than one occasion that following weekend. It was not only the threat that made her the obedient daughter but, after spending a week alone with her father, this was the only way she could be sure he would allow her to go back to school earlier than was suggested by the doctor. Not that she didn't love her father because, yes, they had repaired their rocky relationship in these past few months, but he had quickly turned into Mr. Overprotective. She allowed him to keep a close eye on her for a couple days to reassure him that she was fine, even giving into his request that she stay near to him at all times despite the fact that she never would have agreed to this under normal circumstances. However, she had to admit that spending their downtime stretched out on the couch in the living room, reading or watching television to entertain themselves, had been fun; it just wasn't enough and Beca was getting antsy. When it came down to asking her father, She carefully chose the right moment, making sure that her father was in a good mood.

It was morning when Beca decided it was time to ask. Her father was in the kitchen making his third cup of coffee for the day while she sat on the couch. If anything, his whistling was indicative of a good mood, and Beca decided it was now or never.

"Hey dad," she got up from the couch and walked toward the kitchen counter. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Sebastian stopped whistling, making Beca briefly begin to rethink her decision to ask him. It was clear from his face as he turned around that, despite her efforts to control the nervousness in her voice, the question had him wondering whether he should be starting the car for a drive to the hospital. "Sure, what's going on?"

Still hesitant, Beca paused before continuing. "Well, I was thinking about, maybe, trying to get back into my classes again."

"You heard the doctor, Beca. You've been through a lot and a week of rest isn't much to ask considering everything."

"I know..."

"But - I trust that you know what's best for you and if you think you're ready to go back to class, then I can't stop you."

"Really? Thank you, dad."

"Now, are you sure that you're ready, Beca?"

The brunette nodded, "I need to go back, I can't spend any more time lying around when I feel better than I have in a while."

"Alright," Her father agreed; but, before the brunette could celebrate her success, added, "I do have some ground rules, though."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

He gave her a pointed look before starting, "You will not continue as a full-time student; I don't want you overwhelming yourself..." There were several more points rattled off after that but her mind already wandering off in the excitement of getting her freedom back.

With her father's permission Beca wasted no time gradually picking up classes, although it was up to her father to make the decision as to whether her choices were appropriate for her recovery. It took a while to figure out the right schedule, requiring daily check-ins with her father who would call the doctor to double check, disregarding any protests Beca made on the subject. She started out with one at first and after that went well, picked up another. It was only when Beca ambitiously tried to take three classes that the reality of the situation hit her and, although she was upset she couldn't just jump back into her old life, she made the decision, with the help of her father, to drop back down to one class.

Once that was settled, they fell into a steady routine again. Sebastian would drop her off directly in front of the building for her morning class and then she would meet him in his office as soon as it was finished so that they could go home together. It only gave her father about an hour and a half each day to complete work for his class, although occasionally he left Beca waiting in his office while he taught. Beca began to feel guilty the moment she realized that, every time she walked through that door, he was putting aside the papers he was trying to concentrate on to take her home. He never complained as he got up from the desk and turned the light off, giving her all of his attention as he asked about her day or what she'd learned in class. As far as she could tell, he never brought the work home with him either. Their nights consisted of sitting in the kitchen while Sebastian cooked a healthy dinner for the two of them and, even though he tried to hide the unmistakable glances in her direction, watching carefully to make sure she ate all the right food groups. She was happy, for once, that Sheila would be back any day now and that surely the babysitting duties would be passed over to her when she did. Sebastian would go back to work full-time and, maybe, stop worrying about her all the time. She hoped that this would provide her with opportunity she'd been waiting for to sneak into Bellas practice, which had not been part of the agreement she had made with her father since she was sure he believe she had better sense than that.

The thought had only come to her because of the numerous close calls she had with almost every member of the Bellas that week. She had only barely managed to get away before they saw her, but Beca knew it wasn't always going to be that easy. For now, she avoided all the places on campus she'd seen them - which was a surprisingly large portion of the grounds. If they wanted to find her it was probably a lot easier than they would think, but she would let them come to her instead of the other way around.

Beca had tried several times to work up the courage to talk to any member of the Bellas, but she couldn't help thinking about how mad they must be at her absence, and certainly didn't want to answer any questions they might have. Her hiding spot became the radio station, one place she was almost certain Aubrey would never set foot in and although Jesse did work most days, she used the schedule he had posted on the station's bulletin board to work out when she could hang out with Luke and not get caught.

Beca had been back at school for nearly two weeks when she, after having one of the worst days of her life, had little strength to move any further than the small building that housed the station, conveniently located feet away from her class. As she pushed through the door Beca was sure that the day had done a number on her appearance, making her the target for many sympathetic looks from her professors and countless classmates; but never Luke, and for that Beca was grateful.

"Hey Beca," Luke turned around from the sound table to greet her with his usual smile and using his free hand to nudge the white styrofoam cut next to him, managed to move it within an arms reach of where she was standing. "Tea, for you."

Beca was often surprised at how perceptive he was, even without a single judgment about her appearance. "What kind of tea?"

"Green. Drink it, it's supposed to be good for you. There's also a muffin, if you want it."

She sat down in the office chair in the corner of the room, grabbing the brown bag that held her muffin from on top of it. Luke had turned back around now, speaking into the microphone to introduce the next few songs he had lined up so that it gave them time to talk.

"How are you feeling?"

Beca shrugged, using her cup as an excuse to not answer straight away, "I'm alright."

"Great. Now give me an honest answer."

She shifted, still getting used to the idea that Luke was one of the few people in her life that could actually seeing through the facade. Lately, he had been full of surprises that Beca wouldn't have otherwise known if she hadn't run into him in the most cliché way possible. Now he was the only other person, besides her father and the professors he insisted on telling, that was fully aware of what she was going through and it was comforting for Beca to know that she could confide in him.

"Just because you're pre-med, doesn't mean you know everything," Beca quipped, remembering the shock when Luke walked through her hospital room door with Dr. Lieppe. She had barely been able to look him in the eyes as they went through her diagnosis and treatment plan, too embarrassed at being caught in this state.

"Fine, I'll just talk to your dad," Luke pulled out his cell phone to demonstrate his willingness to act on the threat. "Where did I put his number again?"

She stared at him in hopes that he would back down but it had been that day at the hospital that her father and Luke had created some sort of pact, entrusting the Brit with the same responsibilities Sebastian had set up for himself; giving the older man the ease of mind she knew he'd lost since her health problems began.

"Okay, Okay. I may be a little dizzy," Beca confessed.

He looked up at her with concern, searching her body language for other clues of her condition. "There's a pillow and blanket over there if you want to lie down on the couch."

"See, that's why I don't say anything. I'm always dizzy, it's no different from every day, so why is it that you and my dad insist on digging for the truth when all you're going to do about it is tell me to lay down or go to the hospital? All I do is sit. I'm sick of this."

"Stop being stubborn, Becs, We're only looking out for you. I really don't want to see you ending up in the hospital again."

"It's official, you're worse than my dad," Beca hit his arm with all the strength she had, which she knew barely felt like a tap despite Luke's dramatic performance trying to tell her otherwise. "I'll be on the couch if you need me - not because you told me to, but because I'm exhausted from that mind-numbingly boring lecture I had to sit through this afternoon."

'That'a girl."

Beca scowled as she passed him to get to the couch on the other side of the sound booth, letting Luke know her hatred toward the arrangement he had made with her father. It wasn't until she stepped out of the sound booth and turned the corner to find the couch laid out with a thick blanket and pillows, clearly brought into the station for her benefit, that she realized how comfortable they looked. She snuggled under them with a sigh, missing how Luke watched her through the window to make sure she obeyed his orders as the lack of sleep she had the previous night caught up with her and she stopped fighting the heaviness of her eyelids so she could fall asleep.

It honestly only felt like minutes before she was woken up again by Luke who had found a small space on the couch Beca wasn't using and sat down with her.

"Wake up." He shook her arm until she finally opened her eyes, blinking a few times to try turning his blurry form into something she could recognize. "Jesse's going to be here any minute and as much as I don't agree with you avoiding your friends, I know you're not ready to face him; so you might want to get going."

Although she barely registered the words, Beca sat up with a groan. "I wish I didn't have to go, that was the best sleep I've had in a while."

"So it wasn't just the lecture that had you exhausted." Luke mused, a flash of concern across his face before he remembered to hide it and began again, his voice free of the masked emotions. "Well, you know that you're always welcome here. I'm truly sorry that I have to kick you out, but really, it's your own fault that I have to."

"Shut up."

"Are you planning on telling them at all, Beca?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Beca..."

"Fine, yes. I will tell them, eventually."

"Tell who, what?" Jesse's voice interrupted their conversation, his eyebrows raised in surprise that; one, Beca was sitting in the radio station after weeks of being absent and two, Luke was sitting with her on the couch, a blanket on top of them. He wondered if it was exactly what it looked like or if he was making things up again.

"Nothing," Beca quickly answered, hers eyes trained on anything other then the general area in which Jesse was standing. He looked over to Luke for an answer, but he, too, had moved his attention to Beca.

Jesse looked suspiciously between the them, "Is there something going on here? Should I leave you two alone?"

"What!? N..." Luke answered, at the same time Beca took the opportunity to use it, "Yes."

"You two...?" Jesse stumbled, stunned that he was actually right, "Seriously?"

Beca looked over at Luke, silently begging him to go along with it. She knew he would have her back even when he didn't agree with her decision and while she hated putting him in this position, it seemed like the only way to get Jesse off her back.

Within seconds, an arm moved around her shoulders and hugged her closer, "Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Jesse frowned. "What are you even doing here, Beca? I thought you were sick."

"I am. But I get bored all by myself and Luke lets me sleep on the couch when no one else is working.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Uh...about a month, I suppose," Luke answered for the both of them, feeling how uncomfortable Beca was without having to physically see it.

"Wow. Well, congrats then, I guess." Jesse offered the best compliment he could muster. "Oh, and Beca? You might want to talk to Chloe, she's been pretty worried about you."

As Jesse left the room to pick up the large stack of CDs in the corner that were ready to be sorted out Luke turned to Beca; the last comment had thrown her off guard and she was visibly tense. He reached a hand over to her shoulder, leaning his elbow on the back of the couch so that he could squeeze it.

The familiar contact successfully brought her out of her thoughts and Beca turned to face him with a small smile. "Thanks."

Luke nodded as he scooted closer to her on the couch, letting her head fall onto his lap.

"Does this mean I can continue sleeping?"

As comfortable as he was, Luke shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, it'll probably be too loud in here for you soon. How about I walk you home?"

"No, I'm fine to walk by myself," Beca claimed, although she made no move to get up.

"Yeah, I can see that. C'mon, let's get up."

"No, I'm actually comfortable."

"C'mon, Becs. Your dad's gonna get worried."

Beca smiled at him, turning her body so that her head was facing up toward the ceiling. "He's always worried."

"Yeah, well, you've been here for about three hours so I'm sure he's wondering where you are by now."

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to get me moving."

"Don't make me carry you."

"No, actually - that's fine. Much better than walking all the way to my house."

Luke smirked, "God. You are a child sometimes."

"Whatever," Beca attempted to swat at his face from her position. "Alright, let's go. I wouldn't want my dad having a heart attack, I guess."

"Oh, don't sound so upset at the thought," Luke joked back, lifting her and pulling the blanket off of them both so that he could reach her shoes. "I'll be right back, Jesse." He turned to find him stacking CDs behind the shelf. "I'm just walking Beca home. Don't let the station burn down while I'm gone."

Jesse nodded, "I'll try not to, but you know how much I like to play with fire."

Beca let a laugh escape at the quip. She had finally gotten herself off the couch and in an upright standing position behind Luke.

"I'll probably see you around here again soon, right Beca?" She nodded. "Have a good night. It was good to see you."

"You too, Jesse."

She waved goodbye as Luke led the way out of the station, instantly feeling the coldness the late afternoon had brought. She hadn't even started to shiver before Luke placed him coat around her. "I'll leave an extra around for next time. It's starting to get chilly now, I know."

"Sorry for putting you on the spot in there," Beca apologized. "Jesse assumed, and I just couldn't tell him the truth - not then..."

"You don't need to apologize. It won't be _absolutely _horrible pretending to be your boyfriend for a couple - days? weeks?"

Beca shrugged, "I can't just announce it to everyone. That's not something you can bring up in a conversation so easily."

"But it's better if you tell them sooner rather than later."

"It won't make much difference."


	4. Chapter 4

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I think you'll find that some of the questions you've been asking will finally be answered...  
I tried to get write it as quickly as I could! :)

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, whatsoever!

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Sheila was finally home after a long couple of weeks at home with her father. She had, as Beca predicted, taken over the babysitting duties and Sebastian had officially gone back to work full-time. In the time Beca had spent with her stepmother since, the brunette began to realize that Sheila wasn't as bad as she'd initially thought. As much as she cared about Beca's wellbeing, she wasn't the tyrant her father had been. Her father left extensive instructions, most of which Sheila followed, but Beca found that she was free to leave the house when she felt like it a lot more than she had been. Of course, that didn't go without questioning; Sheila had to make sure that she knew where her stepdaughter was going, when she would be back, and make sure, several times, that she had her cell phone on her.

Most afternoons, when Beca left the house, she found herself at the doors of the auditorium; the Bellas schedule engrained in her mind from the months of practice and the thought of Chloe's worrying making her do the same. She liked to sit on the soft grass with her back against the brick wall and close her eyes because she could hear everything that was going on inside the auditorium. It was almost like she was in there with the girls, moving around to the beat of the music. A smile crept across her face every time Aubrey's voice echoed out, telling them to run laps or to start again - which was surprisingly often, seeing as Beca wasn't there to instigate the argument that usually sparked these punishments. Much like life had surprised her lately, Beca was starting to surprise herself. It was almost as if she had liked being a Bella all along; apparently she didn't know what she had, and how great she had it, until she lost it.

"What are you doing out here, half-pint?"

She turned to meet Luke's face with a lopsided smile. "Just relaxing."

"Is that the Bellas I hear?" Beca nodded. "Have you given any more thought to what Jesse said?"

She shrugged and with a sigh, moved her head back so that she was looking up at the sky. "I thought we were done talking about this."

"No, I'm with Jesse on this one."

"I hate both of you."

Luke laughed, finally leaning his back against the wall so that he could slide down to the grass next to her. "But you know we're right. C'mon, let's go to the station - it's freezing out here."

"Can't."

"Avoiding Jesse?"

"No," Luke noticed the way that Beca was no intentionally avoiding eye contact and moved his shoulder into hers as a way of encouraging the explanation that should have followed her answer. "I, uh, I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. The big one."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence. "Well - it could be good news."

"With my luck, I doubt that."

Luke nudged her again knowing that being pessimistic, although one of Beca's special talents, wasn't doing her any good. "If it's not too late when you get back to campus, swing by the station afterwards and we'll go out or something."

"Alright, well I better get going - don't want to be late."

He watched her walk away with a worried frown. Throughout their conversation he had tried not to show his concern toward the dreaded appointment, especially knowing what he did about Beca's case history. Luke hadn't realized how long he had been sitting there until the Bellas walked out of the double doors next to him. They were all talking to each other excitedly, moving as a group toward the quad as quickly as they could. The two co-captains were the last ones out, and by that time Luke had pulled himself up from the ground. He recognized the redhead immediately, and she him, so he smiled and waved.

"It's been a while," Chloe smiled back, leaving the blonde she had been talking to and walking over to him. "How are you?"

"I've been well, thanks. How are you finding Dr. Nathan's anatomy class?"

"Totally horrible. But thank you so much for giving me your notes, they've helped a ton!"

"Oh yeah, no problem. Glad I could help."

"So, are you still doing that internship at the hospital?" Luke nodded. "Do you like it? I'm thinking about trying to find a way to fit it into my schedule next semester, before I have to apply to med school."

"Yeah, it's great. I'm learning a lot. I'd definitely try getting into one as soon as you can."

"Well, that settles it then. Which doctor have you been working with?"

"Dr. Lieppe."

"Oh - look at you going for the difficult specialty," Chloe teased the Brit. The subject of their individual future goals had been a source of constant competition between the two since they'd sat down next to each other in class. "You're graduating this year, right? Do you think you'll stick with it?"

Luke sighed as he answered, thinking of the recent events that had him sure he was in the right specialty, "More and more every day."

"I'm glad you found something that you're obviously very passionate about."

"Thanks. Well, I better get back to the station, it was nice to see you again, Chloe."

"You too, Luke." Chloe waved, and although Luke could see that she wanted to say something more she stopped herself.

Honestly, if he hadn't been lost in his own mind, wondering how Beca was getting on with her appointment, he might have asked her but instead he turned around and walked back to the station.

Arriving at the English building in plenty of time, Beca walked up the stairs surprised to find her father, stepmother, and mother - who she hadn't even known was flying in for this - standing in the lobby, coats in hand and ready to go. Beca looked at her watch again, confused, but was rushed back out and towards the car before she could ask what was happening. Her mother sat with her in the back of the car, a sympathetic smile shot in her direction as they settled in and buckled their seat belts. Beca tried to ignore the tension in the car, concentrating on her own thoughts; a mix she had been trying to work on but hadn't had the chance to. When they arrived at the hospital, Beca was the last one out of the car on purpose. The adults stood just outside the car doors, waiting for her, but didn't try to rush her.

"Let's just get this over with already," The brunette jumped out of the car after a few minutes and shut the door behind her, running ahead of the group as best she could as they made their way up to the hospital entrance.

Apparently, they had rushed to the hospital for nothing. It had been ten minutes and they were still sitting in the waiting room for Dr. Lieppe to finish up a meeting with another patient. The group remained fairly quiet, a few polite words exchanged about the weather, mostly, but it was all nervous small talk and no one was actually paying attention to what was being said. When Beca's name was finally called, everyone got up at exactly the same time and walked towards the nurse.

"I'm just going to take Beca by herself for a second," The nurse told them with a smile, writing something down on the clipboard she was holding. "We'll come back for you."

Her family nodded, although they were reluctant to let Beca go on her own. Beca, of course, didn't feel the same way, in fact she welcomed the break. Without looking back she followed the nurse out of the waiting room and into the small hallway that snaked around the various examination rooms. They stopped at the scale just beyond the door, and from where they stood Beca could hear her family talking to each other - a discussion about her, she was sure, that they'd held back for when she left the room.

Trying not to pay attention to that, Beca stepped on the scale. She could hear the nurse move the slider, but let her head fall so that she wouldn't have to look. She knew the signs, and she knew this was another symptom her doctor could check off of his list.

"Alright," The nurse stepped back to let Beca get off of the scale. "We're going to be in exam room three today. Why don't you go in there get comfortable and I'll be right back."

Beca was very familiar with this office and turned around to find exam room three without a problem. It was one of the better, newly renovated rooms that had been painted with a color that was probably supposed to help ease the minds of their patients but made Beca want to vomit. She walked through the door and immediately got up on the familiar examination table, it's thick pillow top covered by a pristine white sheet and a flat hospital pillow that crumpled as she folded her legs and lowered herself so that she was lying down.

The nurse came back just as Beca found her eyes closing, heavy with the lack of sleep she'd been getting. If Luke hadn't interrupted her back at the auditorium she might have fallen asleep then and there but it was a long day, full of people keeping her awake. She looked over at the nurse making noise on the other side of the room, her arms full of supplies that Beca knew were for blood work and cringed of the inevitable bruises that would form as a result.

"Just a few vials today, and then we'll be ready to see Dr. Lieppe."

Beca nodded, holding out her bare arm ready and squeezing her eyes shut. "You'd think I'd be used to this by now," She joked around with the nurse, gasping at the coolness of the antiseptic wipe on the fold of her arm.

"You've gotten a lot better at handling it now, when you were little it would take several nurses to hold you down and sometimes that still didn't work."

"I swear the needles looked a lot bigger back then."

"I'm sure."

When they walked back into the waiting room to gather her parents it looked like they were worse for wear. Beca had relaxed a little since leaving the group, but seeing them now made her stomach turn again. The three adults got up from their seats as soon as the words left the nurse's mouth and followed them back into the hallway and down toward Dr. Lieppe's office.

The doctor smiled as they came in, moving the two seats from the window so that everyone could sit down in front of his desk. Beca could see that her case file was already on his desk along with the various scans she'd recently had done. She was sure that she had one of the thicker manila folders in the office; stuffed with the piles of papers that dated back to when the brunette was a toddler. It came out every time she had an appointment with Dr. Lieppe, but never did it seem so big.

"I didn't expect to see the whole gang this afternoon," Dr. Lieppe greeted them. "But I'm happy to see everyone. How are you all?"

Their answers were mumbled, unimportant in comparison to the real reason they were here.

"Alright, well let's get down to business," The doctor continued, getting serious as he leaned his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands together. The next words out of his mouth were the last ones that Beca remembered hearing and the shock didn't wear off until they arrived home again and sat down on the couch together. While Beca hadn't heard everything the doctor had told them, everyone else in the room had and it was obvious that they were still processing it.

Now Beca understood why her mother had showed up without any notice. They had probably been anticipating this and kept their theories from her so that she wouldn't get worked up. Not that she didn't know what was going on with her own body.

Getting up from the couch all eyes fell on Beca. She was uncomfortable sitting there with them and would do anything to get away, but the look on each of their faces was making her feel guilty.

"I need some air." She came up with the first excuse that popped into her mind.

Sebastian opened his mouth to say something but the women next to him stopped it; silently agreeing that Beca needed time to herself to think about everything that had transpired that afternoon. "Just be back before dinner. Your mother's making her famous tacos tonight."

Beca agreed to be back on time and then immediately fled the house. The tears hit before she even left the property. They were the kind that she couldn't stop, despite her best efforts, and she didn't want to walk into the radio station like this. She took the walk to campus slowly, not only because she couldn't go any faster but because she hoped that it would help clear her mind a bit. She arrived at the radio station feeling a little better, wiping her cheeks a few more times to make sure that there weren't any lingering tears. As she stepped inside and walked towards the sound booth Beca noticed how loud the music was, distracting her from her thoughts in exactly the way she needed. She watched Luke line up the next few songs, moving his head to the beat of the music through the windows and knew that she couldn't tell him, not now.

Beca was about to turn around and leave again when Jesse stopped her. "Oh, hey Beca! Here to see Luke?"

She nodded, "Hey Jesse, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I was actually just about to leave, the riff-off is tonight," In his excitement Jesse was flailing his arms around and had neglected to notice Beca's appearance until he got closer to her. "Are you okay? You look like -"

Beca interrupted him, knowing where the rest of that sentence was going before he did, "What the heck is a riff-off?" It had distracted him as she planned, but she regretted asking her own question the moment it left her lips.

"Basically, all of the a cappella groups at Barden get together and we fight to the death, with song."

Beca laughed, for the first time in hours, at Jesse's enthusiasm and rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of his explanation. "That was super helpful, thanks Jesse."

"That's what I'm here for," He beamed. "Well, I should finish getting these CDs stacked so I can get out of here on time. I'll see you around, Becs."

"Yeah. Have fun tonight - don't let the Bellas beat you guys too hard."

"Ha. Never."

Once Jesse left Beca turned back to the sound booth and looked in. Luke wasn't busy, not that it would matter if she wanted to talk to him because he was probably waiting for her, but he had his headphones on still and was playing around on his laptop. She took a deep breath before opening the door, surprised when Luke turned around the moment she did.

"How'd it go?"

He searched her face for clues, noticing how Beca's cheeks were wet and offered her a seat; the chair that always seemed to be sitting in the corner of the room. She brought it closer to him and sat down with a sigh, tucking her legs up towards her chest so that she could hug them.

Beca wasn't as ready as she thought she was to say the words out loud. It would be the first time and, even though it was Luke she was talking to, it wasn't easy to get out without the threat of crying again. She took a moment to compose herself, knowing that Luke was probably getting more and more worried the longer she waited. Beca ran through all the ways she could put it, but none of them were right - not for the person who had been there fore her this entire time; no, she had to be completely honest and direct with him.

"I need a transplant."


	5. Chapter 5

I'm honestly not sure how long it's been since I posted. It's been a crazy couple of weeks and it's only getting worse as this semester goes on, so I'm sorry if it's been longer than I intended! We're getting closer to the answer you've all been waiting for! Please don't hate me for dragging it out so long...soon I promise!

Anyway, I own nothing - blah, blah, blah. Enjoy! :)

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Christmas break had finally arrived, relieving Dr. Mitchell of his teaching duties and allowing him to return home to help keep a careful eye on his daughter. Beca had come back from her the radio station in a mood that had her family worried. She had stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door the moment she stepped through the door. While the brunette had been quiet for a large portion of the afternoon this was the beginning of a new phase and they needed to intervene before Beca dug herself in too deep. Her father, stepmother, and mother were still sitting on the couch when it happened; they had been discussing the options Dr. Lieppe had laid out for them, although it was ultimately Beca's choice what she wanted to do. As much as they wanted to go upstairs and have her be part of the conversation they all made the decision to let Beca have her space for a little while so that, when they did finally come together as a group, everyone could be rational.

In the end there were only a handful of times when someone was able to coax Beca out of her room - often involving that person acting as the brunette's arms and legs in order to get Beca to the bathroom for a bath or kitchen for a bite of toast - but it had been four solid days since they'd had an appearance from her. What concerned them the most in that time was that Beca hadn't been in such a lengthy somber state since she was little girl; her ability to handle even the worst situations acquired much earlier than other children her age.

"We need to get her to go outside," Beca's mother, Helena, whispered across the kitchen counter, despite the fact that Beca couldn't hear what was going on downstairs anyway. "She can't just lock herself in her room like this forever, it isn't healthy."

"I know," Sebastian agreed. "But she's stubborn."

"No kidding, where do you think _that_ came from? But we need to try."

Saying it had been a while since Beca's parents had a civil conversation about anything would be an understatement, let alone voluntarily spending a significant amount of time under the same roof together. But neither of them had to think twice when it came to their daughter's health and the decisions they had to make together; their ability to agree was imperative. This was something they had been preparing for since Beca's diagnosis, but they never thought the day would come while the brunette was still so young.

Sebastian didn't have time to offer a suggestion to his ex-wife before she got up from the kitchen table and walked across the living room to the stairs. She made her way to Beca's bedroom in hopes that she would be able to get through to her this time and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked after knocking didn't do anything. Helena opened it without any hesitation, letting the light from the hallway flood into the darkened bedroom. But even with the help from the open door she could hardly make out the shape of her daughter's body under the oversized duvet. She climbed over to the bed and sat down but Beca didn't move from her position so Helena lifted the covers and tucked herself next to the brunette, resting her hand on the brunette's shoulder and rubbing it soothingly.

"Beca, sweetheart, you can't stay like this. You need to get up." Still nothing. "C'mon, I'll run a bath for you and then we can do whatever you want to."

Helena held her breath waiting for Beca to answer but there was still no response. She guessed that Beca was awake from the lack of coughing and wheezing; on a normal night they could hear it through the floorboards despite Beca's obvious efforts to suppress them.

"Oh, darling. I know it was hard to hear what Dr. Lieppe had to say but we're going to be there for you no matter what happens. We're family and we love you too much to let you give up like this."

By the third moment of silence Helena was starting to worry that she was wrong about her daughter being awake - or breathing for that matter - so she propped herself up on her hand and peaked over her daughter's shoulder, relieved when she saw her chest rise and fall. "Can I get you anything, Becs?" Beca shook her head. "Okay, well, you know where to find me if you change your mind."

Helena left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her, resigning to the fact that she wasn't going to get Beca to do anything today. She walked back down to the kitchen, Sebastian and Sheila's eyebrows up in anticipation, and sat down with a sigh. "Nothing."

"She'll come around," Sebastian assured her, although he wasn't even convincing himself.

"We need to try another tactic."

"What about her friend? The one that works at the hospital?" Sheila suggested, the time she'd spent at home with Beca often somehow involving Luke.

"Oh?" It was Helena's turn to raise her eyebrows. "_New_ friend?"

"Luke." Sebastian and Sheila replied at the same time.

Helena's eyebrows raised further, if that was at all possible. "Oh, okay, and how does she know this boy?"

"He's her boss at the radio station and also, apparently, an intern for Dr. Lieppe."

"So, he knows...everything?" Sebastian nodded. "Do you think he'll be able to get Beca out of her room?"

"It's worth a try."

Luke's number is stored in speed dial on Sebastian's phone so it doesn't take long for the phone to start ringing. The Brit picks up after two rings because his phone was glued to his side in lieu of recent events. The flash of his screen caught his eye first so he moved his attention from the radio line up to the caller ID and noticed, with a sharp breath, that it was Dr. Mitchell calling. "Hello?"

Sebastian explained what was happening in fairly vague detail but it didn't matter because Luke jumped up as soon as the call ended. He put the songs on shuffle, hoping that no one listening to the radio would notice his absence, and then left the building. He didn't think about how long he would be away from the station because he didn't care if it took the rest of the day to get Beca out of her funk. If her father was calling him for help, it had to be bad.

He got to the house in near record time and went through the front door without knocking; something Sebastian had told him to stop doing when coming over was almost an every day occurrence for him. Her father greeted him as he burst through the door, directing him up the stairs and toward Beca's bedroom. When he entered her room, Luke had the same impression that her mother had earlier but his first instinct wasn't to comfort Beca.

"Get up," Luke stood above her with his hands on his hips, opening the curtains next to her bed. "You need to get out of the house, so we're going to get some food." Beca groaned, her arm covering her eyes to block the light, and attempted to turn around so that she was facing away from the window but Luke stopped her. "I'm serious. I'm not moving until you get up and get dressed. You're parents are seriously worried about you - you need to show them that you're not giving up."

"What if I have?" Beca offered, her voice raspy and sad.

"Then I have to ask you, weird stranger who looks exactly like my friend, what you've done with my Beca because those are not words I've ever heard come out of her mouth."

"Luke, I'm tired. Let me sleep."

"No. The fresh air will do you some good." He grabs the nearest clothes, a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt, from a chair in Beca's room and throws them at her.

"I don't want to go out," Beca protested, throwing the clothes back at him with all the strength she could muster. "I don't feel well."

"I know," Luke's voice softened; realizing that Beca was being entirely open with her feelings not just trying to get out of something she didn't want to do. "But I think you'll find that getting out of this room and hanging out with friends will help. C'mon, we'll go out for an hour, tops, and then I'll bring you home and tell your parents that we had a nice time so they stop bugging you and you can sleep for the rest of break - or until they call me again."

Beca smiled up at him and finally nodded her head.

It took Luke helping her to get the brunette up from the bed but once she was standing, it was only a matter of seconds before they were out of her room and heading down the stairs. She tried not to pay attention to the looks on her family member's faces when she came down with Luke; allowing him to explain where they were going and how long they would be so that she could hover by the door.

"My cars just outside," Luke told Beca when he rejoined her by the door and silently gave her his arm to hold as they walked outside. "I'm thinking we should check out that diner just outside of campus. I hear they have a good lunch menu."

They arrived at the diner and sat down having not spoken a word to each other since Luke dragged Beca out of her room. The drive had been short, a walk wasn't completely out of the question under normal circumstances but he didn't want to risk anything. Now, sitting across from her in a booth in the corner of the diner, Luke could see just how tired and worn down she was and he had to consciously restrain himself from making a list of symptoms so that he could concentrate on cheering up his friend. As he picked up the menu in front of him Luke noticed how Beca had made herself look smaller in her seat and frowned; looking over at the entrance to check if she had seen someone, but they were the only two in the diner besides the old couple on the other side of the room. Th Brit focused on his menu and made his choice quickly so that he could get back to attempting a conversation wtih Beca, only to find out that she hadn't even picked up her menu. Luke waited a second to see if she would do it on her own before nudging her leg with his foot. When she finally looked up at him, he nodded towards the menu with a smile. "I won't be happy unless you order something. When was the last time you ate?"

"I dunno. I don't have much of an appetite anymore."

"You should try, at least. I won't make you eat an entire lunch, but a few bites would make me happy."

"Fine."

Neither Beca or Luke were prepared for the enthusiastic welcome from the waitress that stood in front of them, a notepad in her hand ready to take their order. Normally it wouldn't bother Beca so much, but she was tempted to smack that smile right off her face. Luke started to rattle off their choices just as Beca leaned further back in her seat, the brunette zoning out so that she didn't hear about the torture he had planned for her.

"So what does your family have planned for Christmas?" Luke prompted Beca to keep up her end of the conversation but he was met with a shrug. "I'll be flying out to London in a couple days myself, so we have some time to hang out before I go."

"That's nice."

"Want anything in particular from England?" Beca shook her head, keeping her eyes on her lap. "I'll have to bring you back some tea bags so that you can experience what a real cuppa tea tastes like."

"Mmm."

"You know, this conversation would be much more interesting if you actually participated."

Beca looked up with a sigh, "Sorry."

Despite her apology, Beca didn't say anything else. The waitress had come over with their drinks, telling Luke that the meals would be out in a minute as she set down his coffee and Beca's tea. The brunette took one look at her drink and moved it to the far side of her corner; even the thought of drinking anything made her want to vomit, although Beca wasn't sure if that was because her stomach was empty or the result of her condition.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on with you or do I have to force it out of you?" Luke asked, taking a long sip of his coffee.

He decided that if Beca wasn't going to bother participating in normal conversation, he might as well get straight to the point. He knew she wasn't going to answer, and the bell on top of the door behind her is an easy distraction from doing so. He can't help but look up as well, even though he doen't care who's coming into the diner; that is, until he realizes who it was. The Brit looks over at Beca as the new arrival approached the booth with a smile, the familiar friend of hers close behind.

"Well, if it isn't Luke away from the radio station once again," Chloe greeted, unable to see Beca just yet - although she was already cowering further down in her seat and was nearing the floor by the time the redhead made it to their table.

Luke smiled and waved, earning him a glare from the brunette across the table. It was too late for her to run so he saw her take a deep breath to prepare herself; little did she know, Aubrey was trailing behind Chloe on her way to their table. They reached the booth and Beca could tell, even without looking at them, that they were both shocked to see her. She waited for the yelling, closing her eyes tight and avoiding eye contact, but they remained quiet. After a moment, Beca looked over to see if they had left but they stood there with their eyes trained on her, speechless.

"Uh, would you two like to join us?" Luke interrupted the stare down, moving over in his seat to make room for at least one of the girls.

"Thank you Lu -" Chloe started but was cut-off by Aubrey. "Where the hell have you been, Beca?"

"I'm gonna go get some menus for you guys," The Brit left the three girls alone, ignoring Beca's threatening glares. "I'll be right back."

Aubrey and Chloe took no time sitting down with Beca in the booth. They had only come into the diner for a cup of coffee to-go but now that was long forgotten. Chloe hadn't expected Luke, and with Beca no less, to be in the diner - most of campus was empty now with the holidays and she hadn't seen anyone she knew since break started. As Aubrey continued to interrogate Beca, Chloe took in her appearance. She was paler than usual, even more so than the last time she saw her, and it looked like she hadn't slept in days. She felt bad for sicking Aubrey on her, but she, too, was curious to hear Beca's answers.

"- and you're completely irresponsible. I can't believe I even considered..."

"Aubrey," Chloe warned her best friend, the first words she'd said since sitting down. "Are you still sick, Beca?"

The redhead mentally calculated how many weeks it had been since she first noticed Beca's strange behavior and worries because it's been too many for this to be anything mild. She looks over at the brunette waiting for an answer, but the fact that she hasn't already is making Chloe worry even more.

"Reuben sandwich and a chicken Caesar salad," The waitress came back, placing the plate of salad in front of Beca. "Can I get anything for you ladies?"

"Two coffees, please"

"Coming right up." The waitress nodded, leaving the table just as Luke came back and scooted into the booth next to Beca.

"Eat up Becs," The Brit pointed his fork, french fries and all, toward her plate. "I made a promise to your parents that I intend to keep."

"Yeah, I'll make a promise to you in a minute," Beca mumbled threateningly but picked up her fork anyway, exaggerating the way that she picked up the food and brought it to her mouth to show Luke she was eating the salad he'd ordered for her. For now she would ignore the fact that he had revealed too much information to the two Bellas in front of him - for that, she would get him back later.

Neither of them noticed the way that Aubrey and Chloe looked at each other.

"So, are you guys enjoying your break so far?" Luke asked between bites.

Chloe nodded, speaking up for the both of them. "Yeah, we've, uh, been busy getting things for the Bellas ready but it's nice not having to go to class. Oh - and Luke, thanks for the advice the other day. I'm actually going to see one of the doctors at Emory to talk about shadowing someone."

Hearing Chloe name her hospital Beca panicked, taking in a quick breath that caused her to nearly choke on a piece of chicken. Everyone looked over at her, staring when she finally managed to clear her airway and control her breathing the best she could. Luckily, Luke somehow intervened, drawing their attention back to him. He hadn't planned on telling Beca that Chloe was interested in working at the same hospital they had run into each other, and that moment probably wasn't the best way; even he could admit that.

"Great," He smiled at the bubbly redhead. Beside him, Luke could feel Beca tense. It was obvious any conversation with Aubrey and Chloe was uncomfortable for her but he was determined to get her to open up to them. "So I've gotta get back to the station. Beca, you all set?"

The brunette had pushed for food around the entire time they were talking; never taking a bite after the first one Luke forced on her. But she nodded.

"I should get going as well," Aubrey announced, looking down at her watch. "I have to be at the airport in an hour." The blonde left the table in a rush, throwing a few dollars on the table for the coffee they had ordered. "Have a great break everyone."

"Chloe," Luke turned to the abandoned redhead. "Would you like to join us?"

With a wide smile, Chloe nodded. The three of them got up from the booth, letting the waitress know that they would be taking the salad home and, after paying, set off towards the radio station together. Normally Chloe didn't consider herself a fast walker but she, several times, she found herself ahead of Luke and Beca. It took twice as long to get to the radio station and she made it first, letting herself in before they caught up and taking a look around.

Chloe couldn't remember the last time she was in the radio station, but it had been a while. She immediately walked up to the couch, a large blanket and pillow folded on top of it making her wonder whether Luke was so busy he slept here. She had settled down on the couch, still waiting for Luke and Beca, when a noise off to the side startled her.

"Sorry, Chloe!" Jesse appeared from the packed shelves of CDs. "I thought you were Luke and Beca. I thought I'd swing by to hang out but the place was empty when I arrived, so I assumed..."

"They should be here any minute now."

The door opened to reveal the two they'd just been talking about and with a smile Jesse shouted towards them, "There's the two lovebirds."

"Shut up Jess," Beca hissed. While they had been pretending to date for the sake of Jesse neither had told anyone outside of the station unless it was necessary, and that went double for Chloe. From the couch, she watched as Luke led Beca in her direction and threw the covers she was sitting next to over her. She realized, as Beca got comfortable, that they were there for her and wondered how many nights the brunette spent hiding in here.

"You're dating Luke?" Chloe turned her friend in shock. Luke had gone back into the sound booth now and Jesse was grabbing a coffee from the machine on the other side of the room.

Beca nodded. She could hear the hurt in Chloe's voice but revealing she wasn't would ignite another round of questions she still wasn't comfortable answering.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Oh, it's been like a month and a half now," Jesse had joined them now and was answering for her, as he often did. "Right, Beca?" She nodded again, wanting nothing more than to close her eyes and fall asleep as Jesse and Chloe got into a heated discussion about regionals.

"Do you mind if I make a coffee?" Chloe eyed Jesse's cup. "Aubrey had me up all night talking about the Bellas. I swear, sometimes that girl is too much."

"Yeah, no problem." Jesse smiled, guiding her to the coffee machine. The machine wasn't complicated, and he was sure she knew how to use it, but Chloe had moved him out of Beca's earshot for a reason. "What's up?"

"I'm worried about Beca," Chloe whispered over the hum of the machine. "Has she said anything to you?"

Jesse shook his head, "But whatever it is, Luke knows and he's really taking care of her."

"Well I'm glad she's letting _someone_ help her, I just wish she trusted me - us."

"She trusts you, Chloe. I think she doesn't want to trouble you, is all."

"Too late for that," Chloe scoffed, grabbing the cup of coffee from the machine and adding milk to it. "I mean, I haven't seen her around in _weeks_ and she's all but quit the Bellas. This isn't normal. If anything, it makes it worse for me when I don't know what I can do to help. I'm pre-med too, I know what -"

Chloe stopped, the realization washing over her. She had answered her own question without knowing it was in front of her the entire time. As her face dropped Jesse stood by anxiously waiting for an explanation. Unlike Chloe, he wasn't able to infer anything from her forgotten sentence and felt like he was the only one still completely lost. He didn't get a chance to ask what Chloe was thinking before she left his side for the couch and he quickly followed her; in fact, almost running into the redhead when she froze just before reaching it. Jesse was about to yell at her when she turned around with a finger held to her lips. He turned to look at the couch and was met with a fast asleep Beca who was, surprisingly, spread out given the size of her.


End file.
